Karoshi, the Japanese term for death due to overwork, as well as stress-induced suicide, has claimed the lives of tens of thousands of Japanese workers. Now, the devil has been rearing its ugly head in the increasingly market-driven, competition-laden Chinese society. The number of sudden deaths caused by chronic fatigue is rising. Recently, a number of Chinese celebrities (including an eminent artist and a business tycoon) have died from overwork, sounding the alarm bells for ordinary folks.

Fatigue is the silent killer. Chronic fatigue syndrome is an unusual cause of feeling tired all the time, and the fatigue in this illness usually is much more intense than tiredness from more common causes. The most prominent symptom of chronic fatigue syndrome is an unexplained feeling of fatigue, which is not relieved by rest.

Approximately 2,500 years ago, Confucius told his students: "To go too far is as bad as to fall short". Excessive work is as undesirable as laziness. All work and no play make Jack unhealthy. People who are working excessively hard are missing out on life. Family life, socializing, fitness and hobbies are all suffering because of the overwork. When women pay attention to family health and well-being, men tend to ignore their own health concerns or stresses. They are exchanging their lives for money and when they grow old, they will have to buy their lives with money.

The rapid adoption of mobile communications, wireless access and Internet has overcome the limitations of time and space, making working at home possible but at the same time squeezing people’s resting hours. Many of us enjoy our work but burn out when we don’t give ourselves permission to take breaks. All of our jobs define us, close us in, and limit us.

The dangers of overwork – when not balanced by rest and recreation – have been known in all cultures. For example, the Chinese pictograph for the word "busy" is composed of two characters: those representing "heart" and "killing."

各种文明都提倡张弛有度，不能过渡劳累的工作，比如：汉字中的“忙”就是由“心”和“亡”组成的。

On the other hand, though many people acknowledge that overworking compromises one’s health and life, they voluntarily act like workaholics, which are usually respected in society. A busy schedule suggests a key position in one’s company and a good salary. People identify themselves by what they do and it is that which drives many people into the overworked, overstressed working world so prevalent today.